The Snowden Movie vs Real Life
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2017
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What insight can we gain by viewing documentary footage alongside dramatizations of those events? In this video I compare a few scenes in Oliver Stone's 2016 movie "Snowden" to scenes from the 2014 documentary "Citizenfour."
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Citizenfour is amazing because it was made AS IT WAS HAPPENING rather than investigating something that happened some time before. And it's edited incredibly, it felt just like a film at times.
Yeah man
"My meal was great thank you very much" what a guy
Stone’s Ed Snowden appears quite nervous in the Hong Kong hotel interview scenes. ACTUAL Ed Snowden was and is one of the most reasonable people, and once he made the decision to out the NSA, his nerves were steady. When we see him in Hong Kong, there are no jitters, there is no second-guessing. I suppose that Stone needed more drama.
It's an irony how documentary-makers work hard for it to have cinematic-dramatic feel and the film-makers want just the opposite.
Documentaries have a tensely to go overboard.
Anything we don't know what went down in the hotel room ie gaps missing, but be made up. And that made up stuff usually is over blown to make the documentary better.
Makes you wonder if the director either doesn’t understand documentary film making or just wants to show off how great their own movies look by putting other movies down.
I think both side by side are important. Snowden portrays a story of a guy who is reliable to a government he holds to be the truth, but then goes through the process of being deceived and betrayed..citzenfour elaborates on this journey without the personal narrative..to understand where the main character motive lies we must understand where he comes from
Citizenfour is the real thing, literally. Loved it. Snowden in the clips looks like an old tv show. Citizenfour has dignity, like the star.
It's a documentary.... its actors.... Real life Edward as it happened. You can't be more real. accurate than that.
If they were too stick to movie making without all the over bloat stuff studios must 'fill in the missing gaps' that in reality we had no idea what actually happened in a hotel room, perhaps you would be correct.
The only movie about a whistle blower where the actor looks like less of a chad than the actual whistle blower.
My suggestion to new viewers is first check out the Movie and then the Documentary in that order to understand and grasp it in the best possible way.
Hey dude! I discovered your videos about an hour ago and only watched a couple of them but you're one of my new favourites.
Thank you! It's very encouraging to hear that. :)
exact same thing just happened here. thanks!
Brilliant pick up on the camera stuff I picked up on that while watching Snowden before watching citizen four! Great work Dude Mr.V
Very nice commentary comparing and contrasting both films. I like that you mentioned the blurring lines between documentary and fiction too.
Just wanted to point out though that the moment in Stone's movie where the reporters were stressing about publishing before a deadline with the Guardian and considering starting their own website instead, actually did happen. The events are not shown in the Poitras documentary, but are recounted firsthand by Greenwald himself in his book "No Place to Hide". So Stone was actually being fairly responsible here and had done his research (though he definitely seems to take some liberties during other parts of the movie).
This was excellent. In glad I stumbled on this channel. Just got done watching the movie. I was intrigued to learn more about him. Subscribed.
From a film perspective, the screenplay will focus on the life and movement of the character..I watched snowden before citzenfour and I wish I had done the opposite..Snowden was insistent that his personal journey be kept out of the narrative of his mission.. however to reach an audience and for an actor to fully immerse him or herself into a character there must be a timeline..and stone gave us this view...
Keep doing what you're doing.
I watched both as i knew the movie would be 'embellished'. Its always better to watch the documentary for accuracy.
Great comparison video 😊
yeah it's weird why people would watch the dramatized version to learn stuff about the case instead of the documentary. i mean why not at least watch the real documentary in addition to the movie? anyway really interesting what you pointed out and i loved what you said in the end!
:D
I think people should watch both film and documentary. I personally enjoyed part of the film where it was showing Ed in the young days with his path to how he got to basically the top. I also really liked how they presented to us inside the NSA, other than that documentary has that "reality" part that can't be beaten by any film.
a surprising number of people are turned off by documentaries and prefer the pathos of reenactments
Interesting. I was just watching a video essay on youtube stating the effect of colour palettes on films, and that features in this comparison too. A key element that separates the documentary footage from a hollywood feature film is the lack of a carefully constructed colour palette. Also, as a viewer of the 21st century, I don't really have an issue with a well-designed colour palette missing. I think that can make things appear a bit too staged and fabricated. Since the CitizenFour is so vivid in the public imagination-I myself haven't seen the whole documentary but can recognize the footage from it-the cherry-picked colour palette in Stone's version looks jarring (As was showcased here by the red velevetty curtain 'Snowden' was pulling back, as opposed to the more everyday and recognisable blinds).
Great additional insight! Thanks for sharing.
The Big Short has an interesting way of addressing its inherent fiction; rather than claiming to be a definitive authority, The Big Short admits that it isn’t a perfect representation of the truth, as a way of inviting closer scrutiny as to what the truth even is in the first place.
Great, GREAT, video!
I havent watched this video, just the first 30 seconds talking about how unique it is to have two similar documentaries to compare events.
It made me think of two documentaries that came out long ago about the tragic events at Waco Texas. One helped spark a major investigation into the event and the other One some major film awards. I cant recall the names.
I just remember watching both of these at the same time when I was a teen and it was very eye opening to me how two very highly regarded documentaries could make situations seem different.
I watched the movie first for background and an understanding of the events. I still had to watch the documentary twice, while rewinding and consulting the Internet, to truly understand Citizen Four. It was worth it, and I needed both to understand this historic event.
The movie was interesting. I just knew about documentary, I definitely will be watching the documentary.
Stone's films draw people in giving them a reference point to start their own contemplations. Many Im sure watched Citizenfour as a direct result of seeing Stone's Snowden.
If I were Zachary Quinto, I would feel very uncomfortable acting scenes as more upset and stressed than Greenwald was in the original. Most BASED ON films have no actual video comparison, so artistic license is not as noted. In this one, Quinto looks so much more stressed than Greenwald ever did.
I’ve just spotted the Easter Egg in the scene where he’s explaining to his girlfriend about the OpticEye webcam exploit by “Russian Hacker”. The girl is wearing a Red Hat and blue top, which is a nod to the BlueSmurf exploit.
the resemblance is remarkable,,.
You can tell what's real and what's not. i.e older Snowden vs actual younger one..
I watched them both and they’re very informative.
The Snowden Files Book by Luke Harding is a good read.
Permanent Record by Edward Snowden is an Awesome Book 📖👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Snowden is really hot. Just saying. Full of courage, not selfish and so brave. God bless him.
Yes he really is charismatic. Also he would be great in congress along with AOC and such.
Before he picks up, the phone rings enough, you've cut the video.
I think its important to remember that Oliver Stone plays with color palate and style the way he does in this movie in most all of his movies. The lines between reality, myth, fiction and how events have been portrayed in the media are very common to his work. JFK and Natural Born Killers being the prime examples. Whether its good or effective here is not my point. Just that its a common technique he uses.
Seeing the scenes back to back makes stone's version look kind of silly 😂
All the melodrama lol
Loved the movie. As for the "shaky hand footage" it was very extreme and hard to watch. One doesn't have to exaggerate soooo much to express that feeling of "home made movie" look. Gives me a nausea feeling and I have to look away. This seems to be a trend for a lot of other movies for general camera work, and to me looks amateurish and I have actually stopped watching a movie that uses that technique too much. I would like to see movie makers trend away from that kind of camera work. It also gives me the feeling that they are trying to convey movement & confusion in some scenes as a lazy way of filmmaking (instead of actual "action"). (not in this movie, but other movies I've seen recently). Just had to express this as I have grown increasing frustrated with this technique.
This movie was great and I woke up last night thinking about it.
What was the purpose of making the movie given how good and comprehensive the documentary was? It's well constructed, clear and easy to follow. Why mess with it? Did the movie cover anything not in C4?
I always think about what would have happened if he didn't broke his leg and successfully join US Special Forces. He would have been known how the hell did got the intels wear collected for the missions. The world would have never known the full extent of the surveillance program. He would have been in the shadows the world never known edward snowden.
Make more videos!!!!
Thank you! I'm working on it. :)
This was a great video. Would love to see more of this from you!
We’ve got nothing to fear - but fear itself?
Not pain or failure, not fatal tragedy?
Not the faulty units in this mad machinery?
Not the broken contacts in emotional chemistry?
With an iron fist in a velvet glove
We are sheltered under the gun
In the glory game on the power train
Thy kingdom’s will be done
And the things that we fear
Are a weapon to be held against us…
He’s not afraid of your judgement
He knows of horrors worse than your Hell
He’s a little bit afraid of dying -
But he’s a lot more afraid of your lying
And the things that he fears
Are a weapon to be held against him…
Can any part of life - be larger than life?
Even love must be limited by time
And those who push us down that they might climb -
Is any killer worth more than his crime?
Like a steely blade in a silken sheath
We don’t see what they’re made of
They shout about love, but when push comes to shove
They live for the things they’re afraid of
And the knowledge that they fear
Is a weapon to be used against them…
both are good I think, Citizenfour is more realistic obviously.
"Snowden" vs "Citizen Four" is the appropriate title.
6:15 that happens
Interesting but way too short! :D To be honest I didn't like Stone's version, it felt weightless after reading the book and watching the docu.
I don't know why but I feel awkward when I watch even just the clips of the movie.
This movie was so boring. The documentary was amazing.
Dont agree, the movie is a good movie. Still. its a movie.
Toxinomist facts
A Real Fuckin American Hero!!!!
00:00 ALVER STONE
The guy with glasses sounds like shriek,
I never bothered to learn about Snowden until i watched the movie hours ago. And tomorrow I will watch the documentary. So I guess movies are a good way to lure morons like myself.
крутий
Did snowden really ace in his test
Watch Oliver Stones version of The Doors he got Jim Morrisons character completely wrong according to his surviving bandmates
Actor of Glenn look like Glenn
All the world's a stage.
4:16
Is it just me or this movie and the surrounding politics had a negative impact on Joseph Gordon-Levitt's subsequent career?
Citizenfour is much more better !!! Because its real!!! But respect for Mr.Scott anyway !!!
Ed the man
Are you a fan of the Eric Andre show? If so, you should totally make a video about it
How does, or did, Snowden's youth and physical attractiveness effect his viability as as profitable film subject commodity?
If he would have looked old and fat no one would have cared about the information he leaked and the subject alone is not worth making a film of? What?
The fact that this is even a question reflects our state of HyperNormalisation where we choose to blend fake realitys and superficialities over real information and substance. It seems like all important subjects are getting more and more washed up, mixed and a product of consumption until every meaning fades away.
Why couldn't he have this tact when he made JFK?
i think it's pronounced POY-TRUSS. sorry to be that guy. GOD, I'M A DICK
I call failure on Stone's movie from the first clip they showed. The idea that Snowden walked up while casually twisting the Rubik's cube with a finger and then looking at Poitras and Greenwald before they said a word KIND OF MAKES THE CLANDESTINE INTENTION OF SNOWDEN'S MEETING SET UP POINTLESS.
Reality is hardcore, dramatization is just silly and childish because you don't know what is true and what is not. You actually are more confused because it is a mix of truth and made up stuff and that is worst I think.
Yes, true. I know what you mean.. if you speak the truth then don’t put a vail over it and then take it off then put it on again.
Good Video, But very ironic that this video is sponsored by NordVPN, one of the worst VPNs for privacy.
They attempted to say that WikiLeaks destroyed their credibility. From now on no one should be able to direct a film about a true life event if they are trying to push a different narrative.
marcus davenport It's a movie. Supposed to be dramatized. He's supposed to use a documentary look so you know it's a documentary scene. Or the whole thing would look like a movie and to to smooth. So besides a wiki leaks comment and the way he filmed it, what the issue?
Everything we say and do is up on the TV.....
Excuse me while I vomit!
The real people are more attractive
I was so disappointed in the movie by Stone
the biggest plot in oliver stone was that he kept his family out of the picture until later after he got in hiding did he see wide and stayed out of public eye then.
But CNN tho....
Well he looks Russian so maybe he feels at home.. 😍
Also russia has a lot of snow hahahahaha 😔😥
the movie was terrible..
haven't seen it but I hear Stone's film is crap unlike the documentary.
Slack bitch Watch a clip titled "Oliver Stone is kinda Crazy" here on youtube and you will get a Good taste of his many iconic films. It shows alot of clips in a short amount of time.
Slack Man in the movie he told his family he was doing he never did that in real life. also i watched doc an you dont need about anything to understand it. it bothers me that someone dramatized as if it was crazy story like captain philips.
the only thing doc was to get public key insight of whsts going on and let them make the choice on how many they want to give up. i dont think you should ever make docudrama of this diminishes point that public should have real discusion about this.
Slack Man The film was good actually. Maybe you should watch it before you get all biased and just hate on it.
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